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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · rock · straw · firm · fan · season · march · bank

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bank — of a river
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. march — the month
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rock — music
  13. firm — decided
  14. season — in sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. march — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com